The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-12-07

StltutlOn tOr the FISCAL year eQ0ilg O3t0Oe
81, 1887. The report of fine Superinten-
dent, Physician and Chaplain are trans.
mitted with the report of the Board, and
contain full details of the work and much
valuable statistical information. Tae fol-
lowing is the report in full OF the Board OF
Control:
INDIANA REFORM SCHOOL FOR BOYS,
PLAINFIELD, IND.
ISAAC P. GRAY, Governor of Indiana:
The Board of Control of the Indiana Re-
form School for Boys submits this, the
twenty-frst annual report of the institu.
ton for the fiscal year ending October 81,
1887. The House of Refuge was the name
of the institution until 1888. when the
name was changed by the Legislature at
the suggestion of the present management,
to the Indiana Reform School for Boys,
more appropriate designation. Since the
opening, January l, 1868, now twanty
years, lacking two months, 2 COS boys have
been received.
One member of the present Board was
first appointed in January, 1877, but was
not member for two years, commencing
March. 1881. Another was appointed in
1879, and the third member in 1888.
This long continued service mas af-
forded an opportunity TO study the
causes which send boys to the school, and
also 10 closely observe boy life. The ex-
perience hes oeen valuable, and has mate.
rally aided us IN adopting such methods
for conducting the institution as would
accomplish the great wolk of reforming
bad boys ad preparing them for becoming
good citizens. The neglect OF parents
sends many boys to the Reform School. The
great defect of our present civilization is
the failure of parents 10 give attention to
| home government. The reformation of
many American homes and the instruc-
| ton of parents in the elementary princi.
| Piles of good home government would do
much, not only to reduce the number Of
boys and girls in reform schools, but would
also lessen materially the amount of
| crime, want and misery prevailing among
children, especially in all large cities. The
boys and girls are permitted too soon to
escape from parental control and
find cODgenial company on the streets
| or seek places of amusement away
from thel q ONES. This is largely the
fault of the parents They make little or
no effort to entertain the children at home,
or rather at the place which should be q
home. There are few fathers and mothers
who become thoroughly acquainted with
their children. study their dispositions
and make efforts to amuse and entertain
them, that will ever be made TO grieve over
their commitment to reformatories. III
parents would use judgment in the gov
eminent of hayward boys, many could be
saved who finally 60 to the Reform School.
1t requires the exercise OF much patience,
hTmness and kindness to conqQer the re-
fractoTy boy, but these are powerful sgen-
cies and do the work in nine cases out of
ten, when skillfully and wisely employed.
There is too little effort made by many
parents to direct the flow OF eIuberant
spirits of their boys into harmless channels.
Reform school boys do not come exclu-
sively from the homes of the wretched
poor and of the drunksrd. Only few are
the soDs of criminals. All classes of soci-
ETY. are represented.
This fact is very conclusive evidence
that neglect of the children and the great
lsxity in many cases, and In others total
neglect of family government, contribute
very largely to the population of reform
schools. Government in too many families
is lost art, and school for the instruction
OF parents in this art would result in a
blessing to many homes. Many parents
need 10 be taught that their first duty is to
their children and that they should spend
more hours at home in instructing and
amusing them. Let them stop delegating
ell the instruction of their children, both
on week days and Sunday to teachers, and
cease farming out all their amusemeuJs
and manyboys will be saved from crime
and prisons,
CHANGE IN THE LAW.
The law prior to 1888 permitted gross in
justice and wrong to be done many BOYS
who were committed under its loose and
unguarded provisions. Divorced parents
who had remarked took advantage oft to
get rid of boys by the first marriage. The re-
cital of the facts in these cases would make
very sensational reading and arouse the
indignation of the people Of the State.
Boys were punished for the sins OF their
unnatural parents, and the law that per-
| mltted this injustice too long eisgraces
| our statute book. So far as the boys of the
State we're concerned, they had no garau-
tee of liberty, but were liable 10 be incar.
cerated to satisfy the within of an unnatu "a
or weak parent To prevent these Off
| recurring outrages, and also prevent the
commitment of boys without hearing ia
/ court, the present management deemed il
| their duty to prepare bill closely guard
| ed in all its provisions. go that only crimi
| nal and bad boys could be committed, and
then only after trial in court in theil
| presence. The bill passed the Legislature
| of 1888 Just as twas prepared; was vetoed
by the Governor, and promptly passed
| over his veto, and is the law governing the
institution To-Day.
CLASS OF BOYS ADMITTED.
The law provides that a boy under six
teen and over eight years of age, who ha:
| committed any felony defined In the stat
utes, and has been indicted and placed
upon trial, may ask the Judge, at any stage
| of the trial. to send him to the Reform
School. The result is that bows who have
committed all grades of crime, from muir
der down, are sent to our institution. The
REFORM SCHOOL THE HEAD OF EDUCATIONAL
SYSTEM.
The Board claim that in teaching bad
boys those things which prepare them fol
| good citizenship, the results accomplished
i entitle the Reform School TO stand at the
head of the Educational Institutions oil
the State. The hand, the head, the heart o
boys are educated and, no educ ational in
stitution of the State attempts all this
The law requires this, and experience ha
demonstrated that there can be no reform
alton without thorough education of thu
physical, mental, moral and religious
faculties of the boy. The boys come
| very largely from the cities where theI
have beeu schooled in vice and crime
Many of them, and this is especially
| true of the larger boys, cannot read
| The street has been their favorite place o
resort, and evil associations and neglec
have resulted in crime. To take boys o
| this character and educate hand, head and
heart, and make good boys out OF them, re
quires the most skillful teaching, and un
| firing application on the part of Superin
| tendent and officers. An institution tina
accomplishes this grand result may well b
accorded place ct the head of the e6uca
Il tioual gvBtem OF the 8tata. Taking thi